Very quietly, a major Basketball retirement took place as Chauncey Billups announced that he will not seek another year in Professional Basketball. Billups, a Shooting Guard who last played for the Detroit Pistons, did not have his contract renewed, and elected not to seek employment with another NBA team, citing that “it’s just time.”
Billups was drafted third overall in 1997 from the University of Colorado by the Boston Celtics, but his rookie year was not a successful one as clashes with Celtic’s Coach, Rick Pitino, found him unable to really find his game. A late season trade to Toronto did little to help his career and neither did a stint in Denver.
His fortunes turned around in his second season with the Minnesota Timberwolves where he would take over the starting Shooting Guard role from Terrell Brandon who went down due to a knee injury. Billups, who was labeled a first round bust by many, reversed his fortunes and averaged 22 Points per Game in Minnesota’s brief run in the playoffs.
Now a free agent, Billups would sign on with the Detroit Pistons as their starting Point Guard. Now a more complete player, Billups’s clutch shooting and defensive prowess earned him league wide respect and in 2004, the Pistons, who did not have a traditional superstar shocked the world by winning the NBA Championship.
Billups was now receiving personal accolades, earning six straight All Star Game appearances (2005-10), a Second Team All-NBA, two Third Team All-NBA and a pair of Second Team Defensive selections. Statistically, Billups retires with a 17.2 Points per Game Average, a PER of 18.8 and a resume that could put him in the Basketball Hall of Fame, or at least receive some consideration for a retired number with the Pistons.
We would like to thank Chauncey Billups for entertaining up on the court for all of these years and wish him the best in his post NBA life.
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